Archives for January 4, 2019

‘”I mean, that’s part of our offseason evaluation, and that’s really just beginning,” he said. “We just finished up meeting with a number of players and getting their feedback on a number of things and then communicating with them what we want them to do or need to do as they have a productive offseason. That’s a part of it. There are times when we didn’t play well enough on special teams and we’ll dive deeper into that as we get into our evaluation in the next couple days here.”‘

‘Edmunds made 43 tackles, four passes defensed, two interceptions and one sack in December as the Bills went 2-3. He becomes the second Bills rookie in as many years to win a monthly honor, joining cornerback Tre’Davious White in September 2017.’

‘The Bills’ 2018 attendance was the team’s lowest since 2013, when 502,842 attended games. That figure was hurt by the franchise shipping off a home game as part of the disastrous Toronto series — a game that drew just 38,969 fans to see the Bills take on the Atlanta Falcons.’

‘Ferguson worked with three different punters during the 2018 season, which was not a good one for the Bills’ special teams. Despite that, his snaps were consistently on the money, so it’s not a surprise the Bills would be interested in bringing him back. The team has not yet officially announced any sort of agreement with Ferguson.’

‘“There are times when we didn’t play well enough on special teams and we’ll dive deeper into that as we get into our evaluation in the next couple days here,” he said, which, when reading between the lines, wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for Crossman.’

‘”He’s come a long way,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “I think everybody forgets, especially if you’re around him all the time because he’s so big, that he’s 20 (years old). He’s still growing into his body, believe it or not. But mentally, this was a big step. A lot was asked of him that was not asked at Virginia Tech. For all that was thrown at him, I thought he really progressed.”’

‘Crossman was the Bills’ longest tenured coach. He signed with the team in 2013 and served under three different head coaches during his time in Buffalo (Doug Marrone, Rex Ryan and Sean McDermott). The Bills went through three different punters in 2018 and finished the season ranked 31st in gross and net punt yard average and 24th in kickoff returns.’

‘“He’s still growing into his body, believe it or not. A lot was asked of him that was not asked at Virginia Tech. For all that was thrown at him, I thought he really progressed,” Beane said. “He has the growth mindset. He is a great kid, as you know. He is not content with where he’s at.”’

‘Crossman had been with the Bills through six seasons and three head coaching regimes, hired by Doug Marrone in 2013. Rex Ryan retained him when he was hired in 2015, as did McDermott when he took over in 2017. However, the Bills made several glaring special teams mistakes this past season.’

‘The first round pick became the youngest player in NFL history to record an interception when he picked off New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 14. He had another interception in the Week 17 finale against the Miami Dolphins.’

‘With how poorly the special teams played all season long, the writing has been on the wall for Danny Crossman with current head coach Sean McDermott. Crossman’s units struggled in every way imaginable — on punts, kickoff and punt coverage, returns, and with penalties on all the units.’

‘With salary cap room that could be over $90 million, if they take advantage of cap savings with underperforming players, the Bills have plenty of flexibility in the upcoming free agency period in March. And without any concern that they’ll be undoing potential compensatory picks by signing so many free agents, general manager Brandon Beane will feel unencumbered to spend as he sees fit.’

‘Crossman joined the Bills in 2013 and survived several coaching changes. He was hired by and spent two seasons on Doug Marrone’s coaching staff. Rex Ryan retained Crossman during his two seasons and he spent two more seasons on Sean McDermott’s staff.’

‘His results were mixed, but the Buffalo special teams cratered in 2018. The team was ranked in the bottom half of all coverage and return stats except kickoff coverage. Football Outsiders ranked the Bills as the worst special teams in the NFL.’

‘Edmunds racked up 43 tackles, four pass breakups, a sack and the first two interceptions of his career in the month of December. His first INT in Week 14 against the Jets made Edmunds the youngest player in league history to post an interception.’

‘“It’s my fourth year,” Lawson said. “It’s basically time for me to step up. I’ve been around this organization for three, four years now. It’s time for me to step up. Kyle’s going to be gone for the D-line. Jerry [Hughes] and Star [Lotulelei] and [Lorenzo Alexander], with those guys, those guys are going to bring me along and help me lead. I’m a big talkative person, but when I talk, I crack jokes and stuff. I’m just going to try to lead by example, on the field and off the field.”’